


Old Habits Die Hard

by kmzoe



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 15:14:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3815155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmzoe/pseuds/kmzoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Breach has been closed, the Shatterdome is set to become a memorial, and there are no working Jeagers left. <br/>Jen Hale, a childhood friend of the Hansens, has finally left Sydney to assist with the shut down and she encounters old memories that she would rather stay hidden.</p>
<p>But what about that blinking light that refuses to stop, even after the clock has stopped?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Arrival

The day after the clock was stopped for good was the day deconstruction started. The countries of the world moved their focus to the weakened economy. What was left of the Shatterdome was scheduled to be turned into a monument. Hercules Hansen was now in command, putting in paperwork for a memorial in Pentecost's and Chuck's honor, and working on getting his honorable discharge. He barely noticed when a helicopter landed outside the doors.

A tall, strong-built girl stepped out in camo pants and combat boots, her short hair pulled back, and hefted a duffle bag onto her shoulder.

Herc looked out the window from where he was supervising some crate placement, seeing Mako run up with her clipboard, Max on her heels, to give the girl a hug. A fond smile broke out on his face as she bent down to give the bulldog a belly rub. 

The girl looked up as the new PPDC commander walked over. "Well, if it isn't Jen Hale," he smiled and opened his arms.  
The girl ran to him, throwing her arms around him.  
"Herc! I'm so happy to see you!" Jen said. Her voice dropped to a quiet tone, "I got the call about Chuck. I didn't know if yours was on the way or..." She looked ready to burst into tears.

Raleigh walked up, giving his usual greeting, and Mako started making introductions.  
"This is Jen Hale. She worked with the Striker team in Sydney and is a close friend."

"Nice to meet you, Jen." They shook hands, Jen returning the formalities, a warm smile on her lips.

"So what exactly did you do for the Steel Bulldogs?" Raleigh questioned.

Herc jumped in before Jen even had a chance. "This girl does everything. She can do machinery, electronics, ranger training, she's even a certified Ranger." He held Jen's shoulders proudly.

She blushed a bit. "I never took the final exam for my certification," she stammered. 

"Nonsense! If you had, you would've beaten Chuck in points and for the record of youngest ranger..."   
Herc tried to keep his tone light but the constant reminders of his recently deceased son were starting to weigh on him.

"Well, I should go unpack. The council said I needed to start helping deconstruction ASAP," Jen excused herself, motioning for Herc to follow. "Great to see you again, Mako! And nice meeting you, Raleigh."


	2. Final Introductions

After unpacking and sending Herc back to his room to sulk, Jen made her way to the control room.  
Tendo sat in his chair, coffee in hand, staring down at the work happening in the bay.

"Mr. Tendo, This place looks like shit."

He swiveled around in surprise, setting the mug on his desk.  
"Jen! Haven't seen you since Sydney!"

"It's been less than two weeks, dude!" She strolled over.

"Ah, but the longest almost two weeks of my life," he fake sobbed.

Jen couldn't help but laugh, sharing a friendly fist-bump with the guy.

"How's the wife?"

"Excellent, now that I'm going to be home full-time."

Newt and Herman were constantly running into the room, trying to save whatever data they could before the lab was to be cleared out.  
"Guys! Say hi to Jen!" Tendo called.

"Not now, Tendo! I don't want them to lose my specimens!" Newt shouted, sprinting back towards his lab.

Herman just rolled his eyes at the colleague, walking over. "Nice to see you again, Jennifer. How's my favorite American today?"  
She shook his outstretched hand, laughing. "Hey, Herman. I thought Newt was your favorite? I heard you guys teamed up, for once. How'd that go?"

Herman visibly shuttered, "I'd rather not talk about it."

*Later in the Mess Hall:*

"So, she's American. Lives in Australia. Speaks a bunch of different languages. And can build and pilot a Jeager on her own?" Raleigh said in disbelief.

"Yes, given that another Ranger pilots it with her, for obvious reasons," Mako explained. 

"She and Mako have a lot in common," Herc continued. "We sort of adopted her as part of our 'inner circle', back when her and Chuck were in Ranger Training together."

"How did she and Chuck become friends?" Raleigh questioned. "She seems way too nice."

"It's a long-"

"A story I'd love to tell," Jen said, sitting down with them, tray in hand. "You see, Chuck wasn't very good at keeping his temper in check."

"Shocker," Raleigh cut in.

"Chuck was the loud, annoying kid who was way too into the physical aspect of training. I was the quiet outcast who could ace an exam with my eyes closed. Anyway, we never really talked until Chuck had gotten himself into a tight spot. Six guys on one, I believe it was, and they were kicking the shit out of him. I decided to open my big mouth and got myself into the fray. We actually held them off until an instructor happened by. After that, Chuck would ask me for help with his book work and in return, would help me so I wouldn't fail the physical test."

"So basically, after you got yourself into a fight where you both got your asses kicked, you became friends?" Raleigh clarified.

"Pretty much."

"Hmm. Makes sense," he said, shoving a spoonful of gruel into his mouth. "So, you were also training to be a pilot?"

Jen dodged the bits of food coming from his mouth as she answered. "I was at first but then I decided that being one of the technicians was a better path for me. The pilot and tech training are really similar."

"That decision probably saved our asses more times than I care to count," Herc said, reminiscing.


	3. PTSD or whatever...

Jen heard shouts coming from the nearest hallway and looked around, finding herself alone. She took a deep breath and looked around the corner, trying to stay out of sight. 

The two biggest boys were holding Chuck down, kicking his stomach. 'Brutus and Jones,' she remembered from class. Another walked over and pulled his hair so he had to look the assaulter in the eye, smiling evilly. 'Sid.' Chuck just spit in his face, the bully suddenly punching him, sending his face crashing into the concrete. Jen's eyes became wide as she saw the blood trickle from his nose. Two more guys and one girl leaned against the wall opposite the scene in front of them, merely observing the beat-down. 'Kayla, Georgie, and Ray.'

"Teach this bloody wanker a lesson." A heavy boot landed on Chuck's rib cage, earning a cry of pain.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Jen walked out into the middle of the hallway, glare directed towards the bulk of the group. Sid looked over, amused by the small girl in front of him.

"Run along, bitch. This mutt ain't worth your time."

Jen hesitated before walking over to him, a bit slowly, stopping just within arms reach. She smiled shyly at him, popping out her hip a bit and giggled. Sid was eyeing her form and Jen had to stop herself from shuddering, sneaking a glance at Chuck lying face down on the floor with a boot planted on his back. He seemed just as confused as the rest of the group as to why the skinny girl was even bothering them. When Sid seemed relaxed, Jen's arm shot out and sucker-punched him square in the nose. 

He backpedaled tripping over his own feet and landed on his ass. The two guys on the wall rushed over, grabbing for Jen. She easily dodged their grasps and kicked Ray's legs out from underneath him. His hard thud was followed by another as Chuck launched himself at Brutus, whose boot had been removed at that point. Georgie jabbed at her face but Jen weaved, blocking hits and sending some back his way. A blow landed on her cheek, making Jen stumble. Chuck jumped up and socked Georgie in the side of the head, leaving Jones to hop on his back. Jen saw Sid pull a small razor blade and rushed him, grabbing the hand that held his weapon. The two fell and rolled, grappling for the sharp object.

"Hey you!" The physical training instructor noticed the group from down the hall. Sid kicked Jen in the stomach off him, the five thugs running away. Kayla was noticeably missing from the group at that point.

Jen rolled onto her side, facing Chuck as the instructor ran past after the fleeing students, calling for back up, and pushed up onto her knees. 

"You okay?" 

Chuck sat against the wall, wiping blood from his nose. "Yeah, I'll live...thanks."

Jen held out her hand towards him, smiling softly. "I'm Jen...in your class, if you didn't know."

Chuck took the hand and shook it. "Chuck." He smiled back lightly. "I think I remember you...awful quiet."

Jen's smile faltered as she noticed the scene start to change. Chuck grew a bit older, taller, stronger. He was wearing a pilot suit now, rather than the training jumpsuit. His face twisted from the slightly bloody smile to horror as he was pulled from Jen's hand, into the gaping mouth of a Kaiju surrounded by fire. With a snap of its jaws, Chuck was gone.

 

Jen sat up straight in bed, sweat pouring down her face, the silent scream was still stuck in her throat. It was bad enough that she had vividly felt him die, but the nightmares that started to regularly occur afterwards were taking their toll.

She tried to calm herself, remembering the way Stacker and Herc would mentor her after the big accident. Whenever she would go into shock or start hyperventilating, they were right there, patting her lightly on the back, handing over a paper bag that some unfortunate person's lunch was dumped from. 

But Stacker was dead, lost with Chuck. 

The realization Jen had been putting off for the past two days, even after she felt his death, hit like a train. Jen doubled over with the painful sobs escaping her body. Suddenly, the floor rushed up and Jen lay there, shuddering, crying out. There was a distant knock on the door but it didn't register through her pain, feelings leftover from the drift seconds before detonation of Striker Eureka. 

"Jen? Oh god!" Herc threw open the door, rushing to her side. "Hey, kid! Calm down." Herc pulled Jen into his lap, shushing her until only a few shuddering sobs came out of her throat. Herc thanked whatever deity up there that it was 2 am and no one was wondering around the halls, considering he just left Jen's door wide open. If anyone saw what a mess... she'd never have any respect. She needed to be strong in order to close down the last of these people's' livelihood. She could fall apart later, but right now...

"Alright, Jen. It's okay, kid. Let's get you back into bed. You're gonna have a tough day tomorrow."


End file.
